aaAll NFL teams are permitted to visit with 30 college players in advance of the 2010 NFL Draft on April 22-23-24. Not counting against the total of 30 are any players who are considered local to a particular franchise.

After linebackers Sean Lee and Jerry Hughes completed their pre-draft visits on Tuesday, April 13, the Steelers had entertained 32 prospects. Their two local players were Lee, who attended was Upper St. Clair High School just south of the city; and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who attended Woodland Hill High School just east of Pittsburgh.

Lee, 6-foot-2, 236-pounds, is a former team captain at Penn State who recorded 324 tackles in 36 games over the 2006, 2007 and 2009 seasons. He missed 2008 with a torn ACL.

Hughes, 6-2, 255, from Texas Christian, led the nation in sacks in 2008 when he posted 15, and in 2009 he followed up with 11.5 more when he won the Hendricks Award as the best defensive end in college football. During those last two seasons, Hughes also had eight forced fumbles, two interceptions and four passes batted down.

Of the 32 players the Steelers have had in for visits, there have been seven linebackers, seven wide receivers, six offensive linemen, four defensive lineman, three cornerbacks, three safeties, one running back and one tight end.

On Friday, April 9 the Steelers visited with wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders, 5-11, 186, from SMU, and Rejus Benn, 6-1, 219, from Illinois. Also brought in that day was safety Earl Thomas, 5-10, 208, from Texas.

On April 8, the Steelers visited with guard Mike Iupati, 6-5, 331, from Idaho; and center Maurkice Pouncey, 6-4, 301, from Florida. The defensive linemen were Clifton Geathers, 6-7, 299, from South Carolina and Linval Joseph, 6-4, 328, from East Carolina. Also making a visit was wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, 6-3, 215, from South Florida; and tight end Rob Gronkowski, 6-6, 264, from Arizona.

On April 7, the team visited with wide receivers Dez Bryant, 6-2, 225, from Oklahoma State, and Golden Tate, 5-10, 199, from Notre Dame; running back LeGarrette Blount, 6-0, 241, from Oregon; and linebackers Koa Misi, 6-3, 251, from Utah, and Adrian Tracy, 6-3, 248, from William & Mary.

On April 6, the Steelers entertained offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga, 6-5, 315, from Iowa. Bulaga is considered a first-round talent in the upcoming draft.

The Steelers ended their first week of pre-draft visits on Thursday, April 1 by meeting with defensive back Brandon Ghee, 6-0, 192, from Wake Forest; and linebacker Eric Norwood, 6-1, 245, from South Carolina.

1.14 Earl Thomas, FS, Texas, 5'10" 202#. Berry and Thomas are 1a and 1b, with 44 and 43 PD respectively. That stat drops off precipitously to the next layer of S talent (Morgan Burnett, e.g.). Mayock is a good DB evaluator and likes him better than Berry. Great ballhawk, but how strong vs. the run? A definite target, but lots of teams in our range will be looking. Good, not great, FS talent in R2.

1.19 Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho, 6'5" 331#. Seemingly every mock has us taking him. Abused at Senior Bowl, but great upside, including possibly one or both OT spots. Going to have to trust the FO eval on this one, but my gut says yes if an OT, no if just an OG.

1.27 Maurkice Pouncey, C, Florida, 6'5" 304#. Some mocks have him going mid-R1, so 1.18 is not out of the question. Ideally, picked up in a trade-back. Not as polished as Mangold or Mack or Wood, but could have really nice upside and can play OG. RG is our first OL upgrade need, then C, BTW.

1.29 Jerry Hughes, OLB, TCU, 6'2" 255#. Hughes and Brandon Graham are the top DE-to-OLB convos in the draft. High motor guy, racked up sacks, but questionable versus the run. Not high on my list for that alone.

1.31 Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame, 5'10" 199#. Scrappy former RB who makes things happen after the catch and draws comparisons (from others) to Hines Ward. Needs to work on route running, and not the biggest WR, but a guy who made things happen every week for the Golden Domers.

1.33 Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama, 5'11" 196#. A nice corner who's really 5'10", with some questions versus the run. People love this guy, but I wonder if he's more a NCB in our system: we already have that in Gay.

1.38 Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana, 6'5" 316#. An under the radar guy until the Shrine Game and combine; getting over-rated now? Can play both OG and OT spots, and could be a solid value as a flex OL guy, possibly a Marvel Smith type LT. Sort of in no-man's land of draft value between our R1 and R2 picks.

ProsGreat size at 6-2 220 Excellent leaping ability, attacks ball at its highest point Great ball skills, makes good mid air adjustments, and rarely doesn't come down with a jump ball Good Hands, rarely drops passes Very agile and elusive in the open field despite his size Very Productive, 25 TD's in his last 16 games Smart on the field Runs tough with the ball, hard to bring down Physical Receiver ConsOnly played 3 games his junior season, (NCAA Suspension) Does not have great speed Doesn't always run sharp routes Needs to get quicker off the ball and in and out of cuts OverallDez Bryant is far and away the best Wide Receiver in this years draft, he has a great blend of size and athletic ability, he is a physical receiver who can go up and get a jump ball over any defensive back in the league, he is a touchdown machine and there is no reason why he can't produce at a high level in the Pro's. Although he doesn't posses elite speed for a wide receiver, he is definitely fast enough to make it in the pro's. Some other things teams will take a look at is lack of good technique in route running, he does get lazy from time to time in his routes, and will be a lot better if he improves in that area. Don't expect this past years suspension to be a big knock on his draft stock, what he was suspended for was not all that serious and isn't damning of his character, as long as he keeps in good shape for his pro-day it won't matter. Bryant draws a good comparison to Broncos WR Brandon Marshall. He will be the first receiver off the board no doubt.

Logged

"He'll just smile and be cordial out there. Then he'll kill you."--Aaron Smith, Defensive Lineman, on Troy Polamulu

'Phins get Brandon Marshall for two 2nd rounders. Looks like Parcells will give damn near anything for a BM, but there are limits.

I think I would've preferred to part with their '10 R1 pick vs. a '10 R2+'11 R2.

Interesting that Teats was willing to take on the risk that is Brandon Marshall. This is the same guy that couldn't even bring himself to utter TO's name back when he was coaching the Cowboys.

I guess they're the same, but they're also kinda different too. Both immature crybabies, but one is a cancer to teammates and team chemistry while the other is just a selfish dick.

For a team that "throws to open up the run," adding a guy that snares 100+ receptions per year would've put them right back in the mix as one of the most explosive offenses in the league. I mean, as much as I like Ward and Wallace, they're not going to instill any fear on opposing defenses.

Collectively, this team is looking very, very average right now. Hell, with the age of the defense at key positions coupled with the average to below average offensive line and loss of a big weapon in Holmes, average might be optimistic.

A solid draft this year would obviously help, but I think it's gonna take a good one this year and next to get back on track.

Don't want Dez Bryant, don't think he's a legit WR1 and we can do just as well later, didn't want Brandon Marshall, EOS for me.

BTW, you want a Brandon Marshall in the 2010 draft? How about a guy who's 6'3", 215# and runs a 4.46?

Quote from: NFLDS

A physical receiver in the mold of Denver's Brandon Marshall, Mitchell became the Big East Conference's premier deep threat as a junior, despite missing several games with an ankle sprain. He played in just 37 games for the Bulls, but he set both the school career (1,648) and season (706 in 2009) records for receiving yardage.

"Carlton can flat fly," USF wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan stated recently. "He has all the tools, all the ability. He is very diligent in his route running and his assignments. He is getting better, I see him improving everyday. He comes out here, works early and stays late. Carlton Mitchell is just a very talented guy who is big, tall, athletic, and has all the gifts you want in a receiver."